Lentils and quinoa with avocado, arugula and burrata cheese

August 23, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

I made this up a couple of nights ago as Ollie was coming to stay the night and he’s been trying to be vegetarian for health reasons. Since the kidney transplant he’s been recommended to minimize meat as it contains Creatinine.
I had some leftovers and wanted to make something vegetarian. It is delicious and well worth trying.
It’s also delicious for the next few days to have cold for lunch!

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1lb vacuum pack of cooked puy or green lentils (available from quite a few supermarkets and they last months in the fridge)
2 good handfuls or fresh baby arugula
1 large avocado or 2 small ones, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tub of Italian burrata cheese (it usually has 2 balls of cheese in it)

Dressing
5 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (you could try lemon juice too)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Set aside.

Cook the quinoa in the chicken or vegetable broth according to the instructions on the packet. Tip cooked the quinoa into a serving bowl.

Remove the lentils from the packaging and put into a microwave- proof container. Heat through on high for about 3 minutes. Break up lentils with a fork, then tip into the serving bowl with the quinoa and mix together with a fork. Pour in all but 2 tbsp of the dressing and mix well.

Gently mix the arugula leaves and avocado cubes into the quinoa/lentil mixture, so the avocado is covered with the dressing and the arugula starts to wilt in the heat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
When you are about to serve, break the burrata cheese into big chunks and dot over the salad. Pour the reserved dressing over the burrata and serve

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Sauces

Two delicious Asian fusion sauces for fish, chicken or pasta

August 21, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Chilli-lime cream sauce

This sauce is terrific with either grilled fish or pasta. Thanks to Bon Appetite magazine back in 2005.
Makes about 2/3 cup

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced shallot
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp *chili-garlic sauce
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a heavy saucepan.
Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes or so.
Add the cream and boil until reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, mix in the chili-garlic sauce. Add the butter, one piece at a time, whisking just until melted before adding the next piece. Warm through without boiling and serve.

* Chili-garlic sauce is available in the Asian section of the supermarket or at Asian supermarkets

Coconut-Curry Butter Sauce

A mixture of South Indian and Asian fusion flavors. Lovely with salmon.

3/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup Premium unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbsp Indian curry powder
2 bay leaves
3 -4 whole cloves
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, but keep chilled
Kosher salt to taste

In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce except for the butter and salt.
Bring to a light boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce reduces to 1/2 cup.
Turn the heat down to low, then whisk in the butter until it is incorporated into the sauce.
DO NOT let the sauce boil at this point or it will curdle horribly!
Season to taste and serve

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Poultry · Soup · Whole30 compliant

Eternal slow-cooker chicken broth

August 20, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

I was reading about this today and went straight to the freezer where I had a bag of two organic roast chicken carcasses waiting for recycling.
What a great idea and to have the slow cooker on all day every day for a week (making the house smell divine) and just top up the slow cooker with water when necessary.
When removing any broth for use, strain it through some cheesecloth or a (spare) reusable coffee filter, so that all the herbs, chicken bits and vegetables stay behind, also producing a clearer broth, then replace the used broth with more filtered water.
Do this for up to a week, extracting every bit of goodness from that chicken carcass then throw it all away and start all over again with a new roasted chicken carcass or whole chicken.

This recipe is for you to improvise. It gives a guide to what you can put in the broth, but you can make an Asian broth by adding fresh ginger, lemon grass, star anise etc

1 whole chicken (or the carcass of a roasted chicken)
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp white peppercorns
1 large onion, chopped into chunks
2 carrot, chopped into chunks
3 stalks of celery, chopped into chunks
1 or 2 leeks, chopped into chunks
bunch of fresh thyme, sage and Italian parsley, stalks and all
Filtered water

Put the chicken or chicken carcase into the slow cooker then pile in everything else, stirring and mixing together.
Cover with the filtered water and cook on your lowest setting for ONE WEEK.
After 24 hours or so, you may begin using the broth.
As you need it, simply dip a ladle into the broth to remove the stock. Pour it through some cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer.
Replace the broth with an equivalent amount of filtered water.
If you are using a whole chicken, you can remove the chicken meat as you need it and use it in other dishes, like stir fries, soups or sandwiches.

At the end of the week, strain off any remaining broth, save or freeze, then discard or compost the bones. The bones by this time will pretty much crumble when pressed between your fingers.
The softness of the bones shows that most of the nourishment (minerals, amino acids etc) have leached from the bones into the broth you’ve been enjoying all week.

Wash the insert of your slow cooker and start al over again!

Do-ahead · Meat · Nuts

Moroccan-spiced pie with harissa yoghurt dressing

August 17, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Ground meat is such a great way to save money but also have a dish that is spectacular to look at and eat. Ground lamb is so much more flavorful than ground beef and marries very well with the Moroccan spices. Thank you to the BBC Good Food Magazine for this recipe.

1lb ground lamb
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds. (I roast my own then grind them as they pack more flavor that way)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
4 medium carrots, grated coarsely
2 raw beets (beetroot) grated
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
5 tbsp butter
5 tbsp olive oil
15 sheets (200g) of Filo pastry
Freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil for frying the meat

For the harissa yoghurt

2-3 tsp harissa
7 fl oz of Greek yoghurt
2 -3 tbsp milk
pinch of paprika

Put the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the ground meat until browned all over.
Add the garlic, ginger, spices and seasoning and stir in to the meat, frying for about 4 -5 minutes.
Add the carrots, beets, cranberries and most of the pine nuts, reserving about 1 tbsp for decoration.
Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes checking for taste then set aside and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 425F
Melt the oil and butter together in a pan. Brush a 11 inch round loose bottom fluted flan tin with the oil and butter. Lay one sheet of the filo pastry in the bottom, allowing the edges to hang over the sides of the tin.
Brush lightly with oil and butter (you may need more than the recipe says) and continue to layer up to
8 sheets of pastry at alternate angles so that the whole base of the tin is covered and you have plenty hanging over the sides all round the tin.
Pile the cooked meat mixture into the tin and bring the pastry up over the filling, scrunching the pastry on top. Add 5 or 6 more sheets of filo on top to cover the top, brushing lightly with the butter/oil mixture then drizzle the remaining butter and oil mixture over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes and sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts and continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp.

Mix the harissa paste with the yoghurt and milk and sprinkle with a little paprika.
Slice the filo pie and serve hot with the harissa sauce on the side

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Watercress mayonnaise

August 16, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is a recipe from the British “Delicious” magazine that I have tweaked. It is delicious with warm or cold poached salmon or chicken, used as a crudite dip or even spooned over hard boiled eggs.It keeps in the fridge for 2 -3 days.
Watercress is available in Los Angeles in the better supermarkets and usually comes in bunches. It has a peppery strong flavor and is incredibly rich in iron and anti oxidents

Serves 8

2 extra large organic egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tsp good Dijon mustard (I love Edmund Faillot)
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
3 & 1/2 fl oz olive oil
7 oz sunflower oil
about 4 oz watercress, bunched if possible, with large stalks trimmed
optional- small handful fresh basil

Put the egg yolks, mustard, garlic, white wine vinegar and salt in a food processor and blend very briefly to mix.
Mix the olive oil and sunflower oils together.
Turn on the machine again and very slowly trickle the oil through the funnel of the food processor until you have a thick emulsion.
Stop the machine and add the trimmed watercress (and fresh basil if using), blend once more until well mixed in.
Spoon into a bowl and if it’s too thick mix in a little water to loosen.
Cover and chill.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat

Butterflied shoulder or leg of lamb marinated in Indian spiced yoghurt

August 14, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is simply divine and the spiced yoghurt really makes it so tender and flavorful. Personally I like New Zealand lamb the best, and if you are making it for 6 people, then buy 2 boned shoulders as they have the most flavor.

Serves 4 (if you’re using two shoulders then double the recipe)

About 1 & 1/2 lbs boned leg or shoulder of lamb (Shoulder may have more fat but it has much more flavor)
2 good sized lemons, juiced
4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, leaves stripped
1 tbsp salt

8 fl oz natural yoghurt (don’t use low fat yoghurt)
2 fresh red chillies seeded
bunch cilantro (fresh coriander) chopped
3 good sized cloves garlic
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1/2 tbsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp ground cardamon

bunch fresh rosemary

Tenderize the lamb by opening it out and rubbing it all over with the lemon juice, 1 tbsp salt and the thyme leaves.
Leave for at least 4 hours then throw away the excessive lemon juice.

Whizz the yoghurt with the rest of the ingredients (except the rosemary) in the food processor to make the marinade.
Rub the marinade all over the meat and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge

Heat the oven to 450F. Put the lamb on a rack over a bed of the fresh rosemary in a roasting pan. If you don’t have a baking rack that fits in the roasting pan, don’t bother, it works fine either way.
Cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked
Leave to rest for at least 20 minutes, covered with foil.
Slice and serve

Do-ahead · Egg based · Fish

Crab Quiche

August 14, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Delicious and light.
Serves 6

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (with 1/2 cup set aside)
1 cup crabmeat, chopped and picked over for any bits of shell
4 eggs
1 & 1/2 cups light cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 tsp chopped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
fresh crushed garlic to taste ( use 2 cloves)
A 9 inch deep frozen pie crust (defrosted)

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Place the cheese and crabmeat in the bottom of the pastry shell the set aside
Beat the remaining ingredients together thoroughly and pour into the pie shell over the crab. Sprinkle the top with the extra 1/2 cup of grated cheese.
Place on a baking sheet and cook on the lower shelf of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the filling is just set, puffy and golden.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting into.

Note You can also substitute shrimp that is cleaned, peeled, deveined and chopped up

Do-ahead · Nuts · Soup

Bobby Flay’s chilled white gazpacho

August 13, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Very refreshing and luxurious!

1/2 cup lightly toasted almonds
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 & 1/2 cups white seedless grapes
1 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups country white bread, crusts removed and cubed
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 – 3 tbsp verjus (vermouth, champagne vinegar or a medium white wine are all good substitutes)
2 -3 tbsp walnut oil
chopped chives for garnish
toasted slivered almonds for garnish
small, champagne grapes are also lovely for a garnish

Place almonds, pine nuts, garlic, grapes, grape juice, water and bread in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a bowl. Chill the soup for at least 30 minutes.

Remove soup from the refrigerator and fold in the cream to the soup.
Finish with a tablespoon a few tablespoons each of the walnut oil and “verjus”
Ladle into serving bowls and garnish each with chives, almonds and grapes if desired.

Do-ahead · Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Baked gnocchi with pesto and mozzarella

August 10, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Serves 4 My nephew, Alessio made this and it was extremely successful.

2 1lb packs of ready made gnocchi

1/4 Savoy cabbage, thinly shredded

7 oz ball fresh mozzarella cheese

4 oz gorgonzola cheese, cut into small cubes

3 – 4 tbsp good pesto sauce

juice of half a lemon

1 -2 tbsp olive oil, to drizzle

grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat the oven to 375 F.

Put the gnocchi in a large pan of salted boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. (be careful not to overcook)

Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a large bowl

Add the cabbage to the gnocchi water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Drain well and mix with the gnocchi.

Stir through the cheeses and the pesto.

Squeeze over the lemon juice then season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil

Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish and cook for 25 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and slightly colored.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese if desired.